Most people are familiar with branding as consumers. We’ve learned to understand brands through ads, social media and PR, and we form opinions based on this. But what does branding look like as an employer, and how can that impact whether a candidate wants to apply for your vacancies or not?
With more than two decades of experience helping charity organisations recruit the best and brightest talent, we’re well-versed in the challenges this sector faces. Just one of those hurdles, especially for smaller charities, can be a lack of familiarity among job hunters. Unlike larger organisations, which have time and money to invest in sophisticated campaigns and public relations, smaller organisations and charities have fewer resources.
This is where employer branding comes in – a tactic that highlights the strengths, benefits and emotional rewards that come with a career in charity.
What is employer branding in recruitment?
There are two types of employer branding – internal and external. Internal aims to improve employee retention and loyalty, while external seeks to attract high-quality candidates by shaping a positive public image of the organisation, though the two often go hand in hand.
Employer branding is suitable for all organisations, but is particularly beneficial for charities to enhance their reputation, public perception, candidate experience and even internal culture. This guide focuses on external employer branding as a component of recruitment strategies.
Why is employer branding important for hiring?
Employer branding may sound like something only big private companies have the time and resources to invest in, but it can be powerful for organisations of all sizes.
Charities can leverage employer branding to further amplify the values and purpose that drive the organisation to have an impact. Employer branding addresses factors affecting non-profits, such as limited salaries, intense competition for skilled roles and the need for mission-driven employees, thereby improving your recruitment strategy.
Strong employer branding can have a positive impact on several areas of recruitment, such as:
Improving the quality of applicants who can fill skills gaps in organisations.
Attracting applicants who are already engaged with your brand.
Lowering recruitment costs and increasing employee retention by hiring the right people the first time.
Increasing diversity in your workforce, which contributes to a stronger, high-performing team.
Candidates expect recruiters to provide a good experience, which can impact employer branding, such as responding to every application. 79% of applicants are less likely to apply for vacancies at an organisation in the future if their previous applications were ignored – a clear indication that a lack of communication leaves a poor impression. While responding to applicants is just one part of employer branding, it doesn’t take much imagination to speculate how other aspects can significantly impact candidate perception.
How to build an employer brand strategy that works
On the surface, employer branding seems like a project that requires a lot of time and effort, but that doesn’t have to be the case. There are actionable steps you can take to embed employer branding principles into activities you already do, simply by approaching them from a different perspective.
These four steps are suitable for all types of organisations, including charities.
1. Define your Employer Value Proposition (EVP)
Firstly, evaluate what makes your organisation a great place to work alongside your overall mission and impact – your Employer Value Proposition (EVP). There might be existing policies and benefits to reference, but you can also ask employees to share what they like about being part of the team.
Key areas to focus on when defining your EVP:
Pay and compensation: While charity salaries may not match those in the for-profit sector, pay should remain competitive and fair. Use our free salary checker to benchmark your salaries against the market average.
Benefits: From high street discounts and early finish Summer Fridays to private medical care and childcare vouchers, anything extra you offer employees is a valuable added bonus.
Flexible working: Remote and hybrid working is here to stay. Flexible working arrangements, including adjustable hours to accommodate childcare, health needs and other responsibilities outside of work, are a huge advantage that supports diversity.
How effectively are you utilising these elements to enhance your recruitment KPIs? Specifically, consider metrics such as retention rates, value alignment and applicant diversity.
2. Tell your story at every candidate touchpoint
Every interaction with candidates, whether direct or indirect, is an opportunity to showcase what makes you a great employer. At each point, ensure you have a consistent – and genuine – tone of voice and messaging.
Job adverts: Your job ad might be the very first time an applicant learns about your organisation. As well as a clear job description and inclusive language, highlight unique selling points, values and anything else that makes you stand out, such as mentioning that you use anonymous recruitment to reassure candidates that you value diversity.
Social media: Candidates applying for your vacancies may look online to get a glimpse of life inside your organisation. Ensure your charity’s mission and values are prominent throughout, so applicants can assess whether their personal values align with yours.
Careers page: Include signposts to pages about your mission, values, history, team members and other resources that might help applicants get to know your organisation.
Interviews: Ensure the interview panel is trained in fair interviewing to eliminate bias during the most extensive interaction applicants will have with a potential employer. Invite candidates to ask questions about working at your organisation, and answer honestly and openly about your strengths – as well as anything you’re working to improve.
Offer stage: How you present job offers to candidates matters. Include essentials such as salary, benefits, working hours and location. Reiterate your goals and impact, as well as benefits specific to your charity, to remind candidates of the cause they’ll be supporting as a valued employee.
3. Ensure your organisation profile is kept up-to-date
Candidates can view an organisation’s profile by clicking its name in a job ad, which offers a snapshot of your organisation and what it would be like to work for you. This is where you can explain your purpose. Ensure the profile is mission-aligned, transparent and visually appealing – including images and section headings.
Existing employees are among the biggest strengths in shaping perception. We tend to trust the opinions of people who have experience working at places we’re considering applying to. Happy employees are more likely to share positive content online and make referrals for open roles, bringing in applicants you might not have reached otherwise.
Encourage employees to share posts on social media sites such as LinkedIn, leave reviews on Glassdoor and invite referrals for open roles. Invite employees to share quotes and testimonials and film staff spotlights for online sharing.
Spotlight: Real-world examples of great employer branding in the non-profit sector
Charities are brilliant employers, and many do a great job of showcasing their brand to applicants. We’ve highlighted just a couple of organisations that bring their values to life for candidates.
Citizens UK
Citizens UK is dedicated to making change on issues that matter, bringing people and local organisations together to overcome injustices and build a better, fairer society. The organisation demonstrates multiple employer brand strengths, all of which are prevalent on its website, social media, and job adverts.
Citizens UK’s employer branding works because it’s consistent between what they say and what they do. From values and ethics to pay transparency and mission, the alignment is a powerful draw for candidates seeking meaningful work.
Fair pay & lifelong wellbeing
Citizens UK is accredited as a Living Wage Employer, meaning all employed staff are paid a Living Wage, a higher voluntary standard set independently to reflect the true cost of living. It also holds Living Pension Employer accreditation, which means they go beyond the legal minimum employer pension contributions.
Citizens UK are permitted to use the recognised Living Wage and Living Pension marks in the footer of their website to highlight this on every page, and they have a Living Wage story highlight on Instagram.
Both of these, as well as other employer accreditations that Citizens UK holds, are strong signals that the organisation cares about employees’ economic and lifetime well-being, and that compensation is transparent and meaningful.
Mission and impact
Citizens UK’s organisational purpose is deeply linked to community action and public impact, something they communicate clearly at every turn.
Candidates researching the charity can easily see how their work will positively affect campaigning, community advocacy and systemic change, appealing to applicants motivated by social purpose. Citizens UK makes it easy to imagine how working there means being part of a values-aligned mission – something many job seekers in the charity sector prioritise.
Our Future Health
Our Future Health is a UK health research charity that has partnered with the NHS to recruit five million volunteers to help build the largest health research programme of its kind. Volunteers provide survey data and a blood sample, helping researchers discover new ways to prevent, detect and treat diseases such as cancer, dementia and diabetes.
Purpose-driven appeal
Our Future Health leads with purpose at the forefront. They invite people to help build something that could transform future healthcare, with messaging that frames participation as an opportunity to discover ways to help everyone live healthier, longer lives. Volunteers are cast as active contributors to future health breakthroughs, not just passive subjects.
Members of the CharityJob team have volunteered to take part in Our Future Health’s research and have shared insights into what led them to join the cause. One team member said, “Communications about why, how, and what the research is for were really impactful, and made me feel like I’d be a valuable part of positive change. Taking part was also very easy, and even the medical professional doing the physical examination was friendly, provided consistent information about the research, and was clear about what would happen next.” Another member of the CharityJob team who took part said, “I signed up for Our Future Health because my family had all previously taken part, and I was interested in being involved in a nation-wide health initiative – they don’t come around very often, and it was very appealing to me to be a part of something that is actively trying to improve the nation’s health!”. Both cases demonstrate how emphasising your mission can attract people motivated by purpose, legacy and social contribution rather than short-term tasks or money.
Ease of participation
Many people want to volunteer, but can’t regularly commit alongside their usual life responsibilities. Our Future Health created a volunteer journey that is simple, transparent and respectful of time.
The straightforward sign-up process includes easy online questionnaires and appointment bookings. In-person appointments are available at several accessible locations nationwide, with times that fit around everyday life. Volunteers receive clear explanations of what they’ll provide to Our Future Health, how data is secured and how it will be used. This simple process reduces friction and anxiety for potential volunteers and builds trust.
Personal participation and inclusion
A key part of Our Future Health’s appeal is its commitment to a sample that represents diverse communities from all backgrounds across the UK. Inclusive language is consistently used, such as “to help all kinds of people, we need every type of person”, to help overcome barriers that often limit research participation, especially in underrepresented communities.
What’s more, in-person appointments provide volunteers with useful personal health information, such as blood pressure and weight. Volunteers can opt in to receive updates on research progress and discoveries for years to come to see how their participation has impacted the research. These elements make volunteering feel worthwhile on personal and altruistic levels.
FAQs about employer branding in recruitment
How can I get started with employer branding?
One of the great things about developing employer branding is that you can start small. It’s not essential to create a huge social media campaign about life at your organisation – though you can if you have the resources! You can start simply by assessing your EVP and using it to update your organisation profile and key touchpoints for candidates on your website. Once you have a foundation, you can begin to incrementally change your approach to applicant attraction.
What is the difference between employer brand and recruitment marketing?
Employer branding focuses on improving your organisation’s public perception to make it more attractive to the right candidates, while recruitment marketing uses traditional marketing techniques to promote roles and increase applications.
Build a brand that attracts passionate candidates with CharityJob
Post a job with CharityJob Apply and get free access to our end-to-end Applicant Tracking System (ATS) tools to help your brand attract talent without overspending. Take the first steps to building your employer brand strategy with CharityJob by your side.
Our ATS allows you to filter CVs with keyword searches, communicate with candidates, evaluate applications and – perhaps most importantly – help remove unconscious bias from your process.
We offer four job ad packages to suit your needs and budget. Choosing the right package is important because it determines the pool size, type, and quality of candidates your ad will reach.
If you’re not sure which is right for your non-profit organisation, contact us for personalised advice. Give us a call on 020 8939 8430, or email us at info@charityjob.co.uk
